Door-operating mechanism.



P. H. GI'BBS.

DOOR OPERATING MEGHANISM. APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 2s, 1910.

1,030,808. A 'Patented June 25,1912.

I 2a" mimw 93 In'l INVENTOR COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

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FREDERICK I-I. GIBBS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUN- DRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION F NEW JERSEY.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

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To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. Grens, residing at city, county, and State of New York, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Door-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make andV to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings: Figure l is a fragmentary view showing partly in full lines and partly in section the invention applied to a single door of a flush bottom car. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing portions of two doors in plan with the floor and side angle and car side plate broken away. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through the shaft hereinafter referred to as the locking shaft. Fig. 4: is a plan view of one half of the retaining collar shown in Fig. 3, with the locking shaft in plan. Fig. 5 is a view, showing slightly modified construction.

The object of the invention is to provide means for raising to closed position the flush bottom doors of gondola cars and to lock said doors in closed position, the locking means comprising cams which are adapted to be actuated by a locking shaft which is independent of the door operating shaft, the cams riding upon said door operating shaft and being sustained thereby in operative position.

It is well known that a door operating shaft in this type of cars possesses great strength, but chain held doors are apt to sag more or less, owing to the stretching of the chains, due to weight of the load, etc. To avoid the gap between the upper surface of the door and the fixed inwardly projecting portion of the car side under which the outer ends of the doors ride, the invention has been produced whereby a locking shaft, independent of the door operating shaft, is provided, which locking shaft need only be sufficiently strong to actuate the locking cams to close the doors, after which the Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted June 25, 1912 Application filed June 28, 1910. Serial No. 569,406.

weight of the doors is carried, principally, by the door operating shaft thus relieving lthe locking shaft of the weight of the load.

Referring to the parts which are illustrated after the conventional type of gondola car constructions well known in the art 1 indicates a cross-bearer which may be either a pressed or rolled member of any suitable section, extending either entirely across the car or from the center sills outwardly toward the sides of the car, as may be desired. Y

2 is the side plate which, with the inturned angle 3 and stakes 4l, forms the bottom' portion of a plate girder'side sill and car side combined, this being also of conventional form in metallic car construction, and it is understood that the side plates 2, angles 3 and stakes t, form parts of the side walls which in themselves constitute side sills in the sense in which the word sill is generally understood as being a supporting member.

5-5 are the flush bottom doors and 6 is a cover plate extending transversely of the car and longitudinally of the cross-bearers l, said cover plate extending entirely across the cars or terminating at the center sills, as may be desired.

The doors 5`are hung at their inner ends on pintles extending through the pintle bearings 5 and supported either from the center sills or from any other convenient supports at their inner ends, these supports being now well known in steel car construction and requiring no special illustration.

Extending longitudinally of the car and lbeneath the angles 3 is a door operating shaft 7 which may be operated in any well known manner, there being no special feature of novelty connected with the operation of this shaft. Connected with the operating shaft 7 and extending to horns 8 or to pins 9 carried thereby, chains l0 are provided which are adapted to wind upon the door operating shaft 7 or on suit-able drums carried on said operating shaft. The horns 8 being secured by rivets 11 to the doors 5, it is evident that rotation of the shaft 7` in a clock-wise direction, as shown, will lift said doors to closed position, as is common in this class of cars.

Riding on the shaft 7 are cams 12 or 12a, as may be desired, which cams 12---12a are slot-ted' at their outer ends and pass over cranked portions 13 of the locking shaft 14, which locking shaft may pass through the stakes 4 or may be carried at the side of the car in any suitable manner. .The cams 12 are slotted longitudinally and obliquely, as shown in Fig. 1 and the slot 15 riding on the door operating shaft 7 and said cams 12-12a being provided with shoulders 16 which project inwardly below the depending flange 18 of the door 5. At each side of the cams 12 are retaining collars 20, comprising two parts shown in detail in Figs. 3-4 which parts are so formed as to interlock with the cranked portion 13 of the locking shaft 14. Each of said collars 20 is provided with a nose 21 which, as shown in 'Fig 4, meets and inter-locks with the inwardly bent cranked portion 13 of the shaft 14, while rivets 22 unite the collar sections, and said rivets 22 extend upon the opposite Vside of the bent portion of the cranked locking shaft 14 so that the rivets 22 and the nose 21 coperate to prevent a longitudinal shifting of collars 20. The collars 2() are provided with outstanding ianges 23 between which areheld the cams 12, thereby retainino4 the cams 12 in fixed posit-ion on the cran ed portions 13 of the locking shaft. As many of the cams asmay be desired may be placed along the line of the shafts 7-14, though preferably one is provided at each outer corner of each door.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 5 illustrates a locking cam 12a which is providedwith an eccentric locking face and is adapted to ride on the door operating shaft 7 and be operated by a locking shaft 14, the difference in this respect being that the device of Fig. 5 may be added after the door operating shaft 7 is in posit-ion, and a part of the car, while the device shown in the other figures should be applied before the car parts are assembled.

The cams 12-12 are both held in position by cotters 24 which pass through perforations in the outward extensions 25 of the 'bifurcated end of the cams 12-12a, this being permissible owing to the fact that practicallyno strain is placed on the cotters.

The operation of the device is as fol- Ylowsz--To close the doors, the door operating shaft is rotated in the proper direction thus drawing the doors upwardly through the shafts 10 and horns 8 connectedv with the doors until doors are in approximately closed position, after which the locking shaft 14 is rotated so that cranked portions V13 thereof will impinge the inner face ofthe opening ofthe bifurcations atthe outer ends of the cams 12-12a thereby throwing said vcams inwardly. As the cam 12 is provided with an obliquely upwardly disposed slot 15 it isevident that said cam will ride upwardly and under the depending flange 18 of theA door 5 thereby squeezing said door4 5 to its tightest closed position, the shoulder 16 of the cam 12 meanwhile impinging the depending flange of the door for this purose. p In the modified construction, the operation is the same except that the cam 12a rides ontheshaft 7, the eccentricity of its lower face permitting it to travel inwardly andupwardly beneath the door 5, shown in fragment in said Fig. 5, the inclined face 15El riding on the door operating shaft 7 forcing said cam 12a upwardly while in contact with the depending flange of the door 5.

Thus it will be apparent that the door operating shaft carries the usual shaft winding mechanism for closing the door, after which the door is sealed and locked by supplemental locking means, independently operable yet of such relatively frail proportions as to be within economical construction, the door operating means being adapted to close the door and the locking means being adapted to tighten such closure and lock the door in closed position. Thus practically the major weight of the load is carried by the door operating shaft at all times and the locking means may be readily manipu lated without releasing the winding shaft thereby avoiding probability of accident through careless manipulation.

One of the collars 20 is provided with a projecting nose 2Oa shown in dotted lines in F ig. 3, adapted to be seated in a. corresponding socket in the coperating member 20 and this nose and socket coperating with rivet 22 to lock the collar members in proper position.

IVhat I claim is:

1. In a flush door operating device, a swinging door, a door operating shaft, means for closing said door through rotation of said shaft and a supplemental locking means carried on said shaft when the door is open.

2. In al flush bottom car, a swinging door, a `winding shaft, vaV longitudinally slidable cam supported on said winding shaft when the door is open and means for sliding said cam .to locking position belowV said door.

3. In a flush door operating device, a swinging door, a door operating shaft, means for closing said door through rotation of said shaft, a locking shaft, door tightening meanseoperated by said Vlocking shaft and rockable on said door operating shaft.

4. In a liush bottom car, a swinging door, closing means therefor, including a door operating shaft, a supplemental shaft and longitudinally Aslidable means, resting on said 5. In va device of the character described,

a swinging door, means for closing said door comprising a door operating shaft, a supplemental crank shaft substantially parallel with the first mentioned shaft, and slidable locking means actuated by both said shafts, said locking means impinging said door.

6. In a device of the character described, a swinging door, a door operating shaft, means connecting said door with said operating shaft for closing said door through rotation of the shaft, longitudinally slidable door tightening and locking ineans riding on said shaft and a supplemental shaft adapted to operate said door tightening and locking means.

7 In a device of the character described, a swinging door, a rotatable shaft adapted through chain connect-ions to close said door, a rockable shaft paralleling said first mentioned shaft and means impinged by both shafts adapted to tighten and lock said door.

8. In a door operating device, a swinging door, a horn depending from and forwardlyT of said door, a door operating shaft, chain connection betweensaid door and said horn, a cam slidable on said door operating shaft adapted to impinge said door, and means adapted to slide said cam under said door.

9. In a door operating device, a swinging door, a horn depending from and forwardly of said door, a door operating shaft, chain connection between said door and said horn, a cam slidable on said door operating shaft adapted to impinge said door, means adapted to slide said cam under said door, and to rock said cam on a fixed support.

10. In a door operating device, a swinging door, a door operating shaft, flexible connection between said door and shaft adapted to close said door through rotation of the shaft, and rockable and slidable-means carried on said shaft adapted to impinge said door in combination with means for actuating said slidable means.

11. In a device of the character described, a swinging door, a door operating shaft, connections between said shaft and said door for closing the door, slidable and rockable means extending transversely in contact with said shaft and adapted to impinge and to lock said door in closed position, and a shaft adapted'to operate said means, and stops on said shaft adapted to hold said means in operative position.

12. In a device of the character described, side sill or supporting girder, a rotatable door operating shaft below and within the principal vertical member of said girder, a swinging door, a winding chain actuated .by said door operating shaft, door closing means slidable transversely over and in contact with said shaft and inwardly of said girder.

13. In-a device of the character described, a door closing means comprising a rotatable shaft connected by iexible connection operating the door, and rockable and slidable means resting on the shaft when the door is open and adapted to be moved transversely of said sha-ft to lock said door in closed position. c

15. In a device of the character described, means for closing a door including a shaft, and door tightening and locking means no1-- mally resting on and slidable transversely of said shaft.

16. In a device of the character described,

means for closing a door, including a shaft, and door tightening and locking means slidable transversely of said shaft and supported upon said shaft when the door is in open position. 17. In a device of the character described, cross-bearers, a shaft extending longitudinally of the car through said cross-bearers, fiexible connections from said shaft,la door united to said flexible connections and adapted to be closed thereby through rotation of said shaft in combination with slidable and rockable locking means carried on said shaft.

18. In a device of the character described, a door, means for closing said door comprising a rotatable shaft, means positively connecting said door and shaft, and means riding on said shaft when the door is open and supported thereby adapted to tighten and lock said door in closed position.

19. In a device of the character described, a swinging door, means for closing said door comprising a rotatable shaft, and means positively connecting said door and shaft, means riding on said shaft when the door is open and adapted to lock said door in closed position and means actuating 'said first mentioned means.

20. In a device of the character described, a swinging door, means for closing said door comprising a rotatable shaft, a rockable shaft paralleling said rotatable shaft and longitudinally slidable and rockable means cooperating with both of said shafts for closing and locking said doors.

21. In a device of the character described, a swinging door, means for closing said door comprising a rotatable shaft, a supplemental crank shaft paralleling the first mentioned shaft and means resting on said rst shaft when the door is open and adapted to be actuated by said crank shaft for locking said door in closed position.

22. In a door operating device comprising a shaft, a crank shaft, longitudinally slidable means actuated thereby coperating 1 With the first mentioned shaft for locking a door in closed position.

' 23. A lock for a flush bottom car door comprising a rockable and slidable member adapted to impinge said door when in relatively closed position and to lock said door in said closed position, a door lift-ing shaft serving as a support for said member, and means positively connecting said door With said shaft.

24. A lock for a flush bottom car door comprising an operating shaft, a rockable and slidable member adapted to impinge said door When in relatively closed position to lock said door in said closed position, said means being supported upon, and slidable transversely of, the door operating shaft.

25. In a door operating device, the oombination comprising a door, a support to cause said'rockable member to'impinge said door at predetermined times'.

27. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door, a support therefor, a crank-shaft in proximity tothe 'free edge of said door, said crank shaftbeing provided With stops and a transversely slidable latch positioned between said stops, said latch being adapted to be projected beloW a closed door;

28. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door, a support therefor, a vcrank-shaft in proximity to t-he ree edge of said door, said crank-shaft being supported beyond the door and a longitudinally movable latch on`said shaft adapted to be projected below a closed door.

29. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door, a lsupport'therefor, a vcrank-shaft in proximity to the free edge of said door, separately formed stops on said shaft held in juxtaposition to the crank portion of said shaft and a longitudinally movable latch on said shaft in proximity to said stops.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presenceof two Witnesses.

'FREDERICK H. GIBBS. lVitnesses:

C. A. HUMPHRIns, FRANK V. Goornn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. Y i 

